2018 Best Guess Recruiting Class: June 30th

As The Opening kicks off and Michigan’s on-campus camps are in the books, it’s time to drop my latest 2018 Michigan football recruiting class prediction.

Though it’s not full of the highest ranked players that Jim Harbaugh and his staff have landed in their tenure, it’s full of big, long, athletic, “first off the bus” types, AKA some Don Brown “Dudes”. Pretty much everything Michigan fans have been looking for on the roster and everything analysts dog the Big Ten for “not having”.

Here’s a little background on how that could all play out:

Class Size: This is the million dollar question early on in every class. And, like always, the exact answer will not be known until NSD. But just looking at the expected departures plus the normal attrition that comes with every season, I have this class being much smaller than the previous two classes. I’m sticking with 18 in 18, though I wouldn’t be shocked to see it be anywhere from 16-20 when everything’s said and done.

Position Numbers: With a limited amount of space in this class, the staff will have to choose exactly which position it will load up on with tight end and defensive backs being a main focus.

Linebacker looks like the position that has changed the most. After once looking like they were set on just one linebacker, there’s a chance they could take three in this class.

It’s well known by now that Michigan is looking to bring in two quarterback commitments, with Joe Milton holding one spot. However, Tyler Shough committed to North Carolina so it’ll be interesting to see if the staff pushes for another pure QB or goes with a more dual threat guy who could play another position.

Though there are plenty of options still on the board, Michigan looks likely to only take one more offensive lineman in this class.

Class Attrition: With so many out of state commits and top targets, it’s impossible to say every commit sticks until NSD. But, at this time, every commit looks locked into their decision.

Though he made a spring game visit to Georgia (the team who looked to be the main competition for UM heading into his decision) the weekend after his trip to Ann Arbor, things looked to be all set for the big quarterback to commit to the Wolverines. But it wasn’t a slam dunk. He actually requested four different commitment edits a week before his commitment. However, he stuck with his lean to the Wolverines and committed with the help of a pretty awesome SBNation video that featured “Hey Joe” by Jimi Hendrix as well as Milton throwing a football that explodes into a Block M. And he doesn’t look to be going anywhere.

Barrett is another Georgian that Michigan looks to be in great shape with heading into the summer. Though he’s a quarterback in high school, his future looks to be at running back and as a wildcat quarterback (Could he fill that 2nd QB role in this class?). Both of which look to be positions of need in this class. According to his interview with Rivals Chad Simmons, Barrett is very high on Michigan, naming it “one of (his) top schools ($). This may all come down to him making it up to campus as Wolverine247’s Steve Lorenz is hearing that Barrett is a top running back target for the staff ($). If he visits, the staff pushes and he remains a take, I like his chances of joining the other Georgia recruits up north.

Turner burst onto the recruiting scene this winter as he added offers from the likes of Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Notre Dame, MSU and, of course, Michigan’s in the first two months of the year. But it was his first unofficial visit to Ann Arbor on Thursday, April 6th that put the Wolverines out front for good. He committed to UM just days after leaving campus and now looks to be one of the low ranking, high ceiling pick ups early on as he’ll show the world what he can do at The Opening.

It’s been a minute since Muhammad was on Michigan’s campus and rumors started flying that UM was it for the talented Texan. And though he’s publicly said that he’d like to play in the SEC and has remained open to his other top schools, including Clemson, Texas and Notre Dame, all 23 Crystal Ball predictions remain on the Wolverines. Barring something drastic, this looks like it’ll end up being a big win for Harbaugh in a year where the tight end position is a huge need.

Hayes is one of the most interesting commitments in the class thanks to his, expected, arrival as a tight end and, eventual, move to tackle. He wasn’t extremely high on Michigan’s board early on, Greg Frey’s addition to the coaching staff changed that. And thanks to Frey, Hayes’ first visit to Ann Arbor went so well that the Wolverines became the far and away leaders. And that stayed true all the way up until his commitment over Memorial Day weekend.

Like Hayes, Mayfield was another four star in-state offensive tackle commitment in the month of May after being a longtime lean to the Wolverines. His commitment was one that may be going under the radar more than it should. He’s a big, athletic tackle with a mean streak and a very high ceiling. It’ll be interesting to see how he develops under Frey.

This is the hardest position to predict at this point. Fourth offensive lineman. Michigan will add at least one more lineman to go along with Mayfield and Hayes, but who will it be? At this point, the odds on favorite remains the Australian mountain, Faalele. But it’s far from a sure-thing. Everyone now knows the story of UM “finding” him at a satellite camp in Australia last year, which has put Michigan among his favorites ever since. However, things have been very quiet on his front over the spring and early summer. A visit this summer/fall would be gigantic for his recruitment as he’s still yet to visit Ann Arbor. With Greg Frey’s ability to develop big, physical, raw tackles, I still like Michigan’s chances to land one of the most polarizing recruits in this class, as long as he remains a top target for the staff.

Ekiyor was the second commitment of this class, and like you hear with a lot of longtime commits at one time or another during the cycle, things may have been fading away a bit. However, thanks to visits from the coaching staff and multiple visits to campus, including participating in the Big Man camp in June, things are all solidified for Ekiyor and Michigan.

Friday is another top target for the staff and has looked like one of the safer bets for the majority of the cycle up until this point. But, as of late, Penn State and Ohio State look to be making a big push. However, thanks to the longtime recruitment from the staff and the chance to be the only true interior defensive lineman in this class, I still feel good about my Crystal Ball for Friday to Michigan. But others are pushing for this spot in the class, one main name to watch being Rick Sandidge.

As the son of former Michigan linebacker standout, Chris Hutchinson, Aidan was a player that looked very likely to end up in this class as soon as his name popped up on the radar. Though he didn’t want to be known as a full blown “slam dunk” recruit for the Wolverines, all signs continued to point towards UM heading into his senior year. And he followed through by committing to Michigan in February and continues to look like a perfect fit for Greg Mattison’s defensive line.

Reese was the first commitment for this class and may end up being the best player in this class, when everything is said and done. His mix of length, athleticism, speed and tenacity should make him a terror in Don Brown’s blitz heavy defense. And though he’s a highly rated player out of SEC country, he doesn’t look to be going anywhere.

McGrone is one of the best players in the Midwest that wasn’t getting much attention on the UM recruiting front. But that quickly changed when the staff was able to get him on campus to offer him in person. With that offer in hand and the quick relationships built between McGrone and the staff, I put in my Crystal Ball for the athletic linebacker to pick Michigan. And others will likely start to follow as time goes on. According to The Wolverine’s sources, they’d be “surprised if he ended up elsewhere” ($). Notre Dame is still pushing here but, as long as he remains a take and the staff keeps pushing, I really like where things stand for UM here.

After extending an offer to the raw safety out of the Longhorn state, the Wolverines quickly became a top candidate to land both of the Green brothers. But things really started to heat up as the duo made their way to Ann Arbor for the first time just days after the spring game.Thanks to that trip and the game plan/recruiting pitch from the coaching staff, German and Gemon didn’t waste much time announcing their commitments to UM.

Mentioned for months, by Wolverine247’s Steve Lorenz, as a top target for the staff, Green was a player that looked like he was going to be a very tough pull away from the Longhorn State. That was especially true when TCU offered. The long cornerback prospect was seen as a lean to the Horned Frogs for awhile. But that was until Michigan really started pushing, offered his brother, German, and got the duo up to Ann Arbor for a post-spring game visit. Thanks to the staff’s prioritizing of tall, long defensive backs and their admiration for the three star shown during his first trip to campus, both Gemon and his brother, German, decided to commit to Michigan’s 2018 recruiting class right after their first visit to Ann Arbor.

As soon as the staff flipped the 2017 switch off and flipped the 2018 switch full on, Sims was a priority. But, as a top recruit out of the heart of SEC country, most figured he’d end up staying down south. With the SEC powers, like Alabama, Auburn, and Georgia extending offers, as well as national brand names, like USC, Ohio State, Texas and Stanford throwing their hat in the ring, this was going to take another Nico Collins-like recruiting pitch to win out. And, whataya know, Harbaugh and his staff did just that as Sims committed to Michigan, making him another huge get for UM out of SEC country.

If Michigan were to have finished with this score in 2017, it would have had the #15 class in the country, per 247Sports. And though it wouldn’t be another top five class or top ten class, this class is much more about potential and ceiling than it is about current rankings. I expect several of the names above to get big bumps in their rankings this summer or after their senior seasons.

Just Missed the List

Simon was a long time member of the class prediction and could end up being back on the list next month. However, Notre Dame looks to have the most momentum right now and could end up landing his commitment before the end of the summer. Will Michigan get him on campus again before he makes his decision? That may be key here. This one is extremely close.

Shocky is another player that was one of the last names taken off of the class prediction. He landed his offer from the staff and decommitted from Kentucky not long after. And though it looks like Michigan is in prime position to land him, there’s not enough there just yet to add him to the class. But he’s definitely a name to watch moving forward.

Sandidge, like Simon and SJL, was a final removal. He’s burst onto the Michigan recruiting scene as of late after visiting campus with his family earlier in the month. The staff is clearly pushing hard for the big man but this may be a very tough pull out of South Carolina. Though, if there’s one team that looks to have the best chance at doing it, it’s UM.

Jobe has been on and off the list a couple times already and remains a close call. Things are pretty quiet on his front after he transferred north to Cheshire Academy in Connecticut. Will the move away from the Hurricanes give Michigan the space its needed to land the top defensive back? This will be another recruitment to keep a close eye on all the way to NSD.

Ruckert is another elite prospect and top target for the staff. This recruitment has pretty much gone silent since he visited his top teams in the spring. The big man has been said to be favoring the Buckeyes for awhile now. However, Michigan’s need for playmaking tight ends in this class will keep UM in this race. This should be a close decision, which ever way it goes.

Petit-Frere looks to be a top target for the staff and a name to remember moving forward. He received his first offer from UM and has remained a “want” for the staff. Though he doesn’t get a ton of publicity on the UM front, don’t forget about him as a potential 4th offensive lineman in this class.

Notre Dame, Stanford and USC are the teams that have continued to make the most noise and there’s a very real chance he ends up at either program. But I’m not counting out Michigan at all here. The educational opportunities in Ann Arbor are among the best in the world and that chance to the “the man” in this class could be a bigger selling point than some may think. But, I’m gonna have to wait until he gets to campus before I can truly think about adding him to the list.

Another top receiving target for Michigan that has continued to name Ohio State his leader. But, like Ruckert, this recruitment looks to be a little closer than some think. Though the Wolverines may need to pull out all of the stops if/when he makes a return visit to Ann Arbor to have a chance to knock the Buckeyes off the top of the list.